December Newsletter

Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope all is well for you. This month’s newsletter is going to be short on the information side. Not much to report. There are some extras: an excerpt from volume four, and pictures of how I see the characters. However, if you want to skip that bit, I will title that section with a heading. It will be at the very end, so you can just close the email at that point. I know some people like to picture the characters for themselves and not have a reference to go off of and others are the opposite.

First off, I have some good news! I wish I could have made it sooner, but it’s as close to today as Amazon will let me have. Volume Four will be out on the 23rdinstead of the 26th. I simply couldn’t wait that long anymore. I’m a bouncing ball of excitment. Though, I will admit, I’m a bit scared too, and I can’t tell you why. Check your kindles around 2am (usually when they go live for me) your time on the 23rd, and you should find it waiting for you. Just know that this is a very important volume to the coming plotlines.

Spearwood Boys is still set to come out the 31st. I will let you all know if this changes.

I’ve been getting questions about when printed versions of Spearwood Academy are coming out. I hope to have a Spearwood Academy Volume One and Spearwood Boys Volume One combo out by January sometime. I’m still working with the edits and formatting.

Spearwood Academy Volume Five will be going on Preorder for February 2015 as soon as I have a cover for it. Still coming up with concept art. I like to make my covers symbolic of what happens in the volume. Also, yes, I make all my covers.

Also, I have an adult series out. I was going to make it under my A.S. Oren name, but now I think I will keep my erotica writing separate from my general work. So if you see books under the name T.L. Rose, that’s me. I do have the first book in a series for adults up for Preorder. It’s still under the name A.S. Oren, but I will change that soon. The series is in the erotica horror genre, dealing with phobias. Amazon Link: Http://viewbook.at/DVS1

Excerpt from Volume Four

His obsidian eyes stare into mine. A shiver of fright shakes my spine. I try with all of my might to recall a memory of him from my past, but nothing rises to the surface, not even a memory just out of reach. Is this guy really my brother? Why would Elex and Igraine imprison him? How long has he been in this room?

He rights his neck and takes several steps toward me. The fire in Elex’s hand’ rises higher into the air. Paden and Maverick step in front of me. Dante, Bullock, Horace, Mirren and Amr form the rest of a protective barrier. They sense it too, the darkness radiating off him in waves like a dense, black smoke. “You don’t remember me, do you, little sister?”

“How did you get out? My magic was perfect,” Igraine says, with a shaky voice’ from either fear or anger.

“You didn’t account for the fact I was still conscious the entire time: eleven years. It gave me a long time to reflect, grow, and evolve.” Through the small gap in-between Maverick and Paden’s almost touching arms, I watch him place his hand on Triton’s shoulder. Triton turns his head to look at the hand. His lip curls, but he does nothing to remove it. Why is he helping this guy?

“Now, now.” The guy takes the hand touching Triton’s shoulder and pats him on the cheek. “Don’t make such a dirty face.” Instantly, Triton’s face goes returns to normal. I frown. Something’s not right. Is Triton being controlled with same sludge-like stuff that Roseman controlled me with? How would this guy be able to control him though? Have they met before?

The guy moves a strand of pure white hair out of his face. “Where was I? My powers are stronger now, more advanced than you could’ve foreseen. I was able to stay in contact with my servants, and they got me out.”

“You make yourself sound like some kind of wannabe Voldemort.” I push my way past Maverick and Paden. Maverick grabs my hand. I glance back at him and give him a soft smile, letting him know I’m okay. I leave my hand in his. The warmth brings me comfort.

The guy frowns. “I have no idea what a Voldemort is.”

“Avalon, get back in the barrier!” Elex says, stepping in front of me.

Pictures of Characters

I have been doing a lot of author events on facebook and one of the things I do to entertain and interact with the event goers is show them pictures of how I see the characters in my head. With Triton and Maverick, picture them with longer hair, the actors have never had long hair.

SOMEWHERE IN THIS NEWSLETTER IS A FANSERVICE SCENE FEATURING LUSK. He was requested by Kimberly, Tara and Lillian. I never knew he was so popular!

What you probably want to really know:

Here is another update for you guys. So I can’t make the release dates earlier than the 31st, I thought I could, but it doesn’t seem like I can. I emailed Amazon, so maybe it will happen? If not, then Spearwood Academy 13-15 and Spearwood Boys WILL come out 31st as scheduled. Spearwood Academy Volume Three will come out November 11th.

Do you guys like the Preorder Option? Should I keep it? It helps with keeping on a deadline better. Amazon takes away my preorder rights for a year if I don’t deliver the final draft by a certain date, keeps me more driven to finish. I think I can changed the dates to earlier, if it’s not the same month as the release date, so if I get them done 30 days ahead of schedule, they can come out sooner. Let me know if you like this.

Do you want Spearwood Academy and Boys Audio Plays?

I’m not talking about an audiobook, not really, I’m talking about voice actors, sound effects and music bringing the books to life.

At the top of this Section (if you are in WordPress) is a poll please take it after reading all of this section.

I’ve been thinking about this for a few months now. I really want to do this. Along with quite a few other things, but those are waaay down the line. I can edit the project together with the sounds and music. I have the programs and I used to do something similar when I was in High school and once when I was 20. I would turn Fanfiction into audio plays. Here’s the last surviving one on the internet. I have no idea what happened to the others. I’ve looked everywhere. Not my best editing job on this one. The Spearwood Plays would be done by my perfectionist side though.

I would like to find newer voice talents (that have good equipment, of course), that have yet to really have their first professional gig, where they get paid and aren’t volunteering. If it wasn’t for the first few people that gave me a chance when I started freelancing, I would have never been able to build my portfolio, or decide to branch out on my own. Spearwood would have never happened.

However, to do this, I will need to pay the voice actors. Turning Volume One of Spearwood Academy will be a lot of work for all the actors, but especially for the Actor that plays Avalon. I’m not sure what the budget would be, considering all the voice actors I worked with before were volunteers and a lot of them don’t do it anymore, even as a hobby. I figure, at the VERY least it would be 1k. There would be 12 actors for Volume One. I possibly have 2: Triton and Horace (you can hear them in the Spearwood Boys Trailer). I’m pretty sure Horace is on board, he’s the one that mentioned doing an audio play, and I don’t know him personally.

I don’t have the funds to foot something like this, and I really want to be able to pay the actors. It will be a few years if I save up to pay everyone. That’s why I’m considering starting a Kickstarter, Indiegogo or something else for it, but I want to know if it’s something you guys would be interested in and consider helping me promote to raise funds.

I’m not one to ask for help, I like doing everything I can to not ask for help, but I would need it with something like this. There would be rewards, of course. That’s how Kickstarter works at least. I was thinking printed, signed copies of Volume One of Spearwood Academy, Posters, audioplay cds, Live QA with me, donating to a charity a % of the proceeds, I’m open to suggestions.

Leave a comment, email me or take the poll to let me know what you want.

Possible New Series Coming out (Oct 19th US and 20th UK)

Well, not new. I published it two years ago under my real name. I took it down when I published Spearwood Academy. I’ve decided to republish it again, and give it another shot. Whether or not it’s a good idea to let take up space in my brain, or to drop it. I love the character, because I made them androgynous on purpose. It deals with zombies, aliens and Steam Punk later on. Not all of the series is written, just the first novelette and part of the second one. It’s a sequel to a series I plan to publish in 2016. It will be at the lowest price I can make it $0.99. I’ll give it a few months, to see if people like it and if they do, then I will start writing the series to release in mid-2015, around the time Spearwood should be winding down (I honestly don’t know if it will stop at Volume 7). I know, odd to be writing the sequel to a series you don’t know about yet.

The series is called: The Sixth Extinction and Book one is called Up a Tree. I will post on Facebook and send an email link when it’s out. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, just be forewarned.

Fan Service Scene #2 Lusk & Avalon

I gasp for air, I’ve never run so hard in my life. “We need the female shifter! Get her!” Shit, they are still behind me. Did they see me turn the corner? I begin to rush off again, not sure if my lungs will hold out for another run through Spearwood. There’s nowhere safe anymore. A firm hand goes around my wrist: I’m caught, and pulls on me. The slick coolness of being pulled through a wall chills me to the bone.

I’m pushed against a wall, and a rough hand goes over my mouth. “Shhh . . . or they will hear us in here.” The darkness of being in the hidden alcove blinds my eyes from seeing him, but I would know Lusk’s voice anywhere by now. I still my breathing, as the thundering of the Slayers’ footsteps go rushing by the hideout.

A flame flickers to life in his hands. Illuminating the alcove that is no more than a dead-end hallway. The rough hand covering my mouth moves to my cheek. “Are you all right? Did they heart you?”

My breathing has returned to normal, but my heart still hammers away in my chest. He’s so close, the heat radiating from his body warms my chilled flesh. I nod and lick my lips. “Yeah . . . yeah, I’m okay. You saved me. I wouldn’t have been able to run for much longer.”

“I’m glad.” He moves to take his hand away from my cheek; I place my own hand over his.

His grey eyes look down into mine and he frowns. “What are you doing?”

He moves his hand back and rubs the pad of his thumb back and forth. I look at the scars covering the lower left side of his face, marring the corner of his full lips. I lift my hand to touch them, the tips of my finger touching each of the smooth, thick scars. Hot tears flood my eyes. I did this to him. If only I had known the truth then, I would have never let my temper get the better of me in that moment.

He wipes one of the tears away. “Why are you crying?”

“I did this to you. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. If only I had known how messed up things were then.” The regret courses through me, warming up my arm and tips of my fingers. I watch with wide eyes, as three of the four scars disappear, leaving only the smallest one near the edge of his jaw.

My eyes linger on his full lips before traveling upward to meet his eyes. He leans down, like he did so many months ago, when I first came to Spearwood and he kissed me on the cheek. This time, however, his lips don’t go to my cheek. Tentatively, his warm lips meet mine. A spark bursts within me. I kiss him back my hands moving to his chest and then shoulders. This want has been building for too long.

The hand holding the flame presses into the wall, submerging us in darkness once more.

Thank you:

Thank you to everyone who has been responding to the last newsletter I sent out about my personal life. I really appreciate all your support and well wishes. As of now, the situation is still the same, and I figure it will be for the next few years. Every day is different, but we’re trying some new things that seem promising. I’m learning to get disciplined with myself again and set aside hours for writing, and worry less about what’s going on, not all of it’s in my control, and reminding myself it will all be all right.

Hey everyone A.S. Oren here. My thanks goes to Heather for post on my behalf while I was away.Episode 11&12 are out now. Here is the universal link, it should work for anyone, anywhere. viewBook.at/spearwoodacademy11

As you will see at the end, Episodes 13&14 have a projected release date week of the 25th-30th. The reason for this is because certain matters of my life are coming to a head in the next month. They will require me to change my routine and lifestyle. I’m really not sure what my future will look like now.

I do know one thing that is certain, I will continue writing for you guys. That’s something that will never change. I have several series coming out before the end of the year:

Spearwood Boys (release 8/28)
The Splicing Project (Co writer with Heather Dowell) Release date 8/28
The Inner Secret of the Queen Bee
The Daughter of Triton (the story of Vex)

I’m working with Heather to figure out a new writing schedule, so I can get things out on time again.

For those of you who do not like buying the episodes Volume three of Spearwood Academy will be out September of 2014.

Volume two of Spearwood Academy is a tad behind with editing, it should be up by the weekend. I will post a link when I have it. Not sure how many of you wait for the volumes, so if you could let me know if you are one of those people by commenting, that would be amazing.

If I know there will be delays in the future, and they don’t hit me head on again, I will let you all know beforehand.

I’m going to be honest, I’m not used to having people wait for my own writing, and not something I ghost wrote for my freelancing.

When I first started writing SA in November 2013 no one knew about it, and in the last three or so months it has not exactly taken off, but the engine was started that is for sure. I will work harder now that I know people really want SA to continue. Lots of things are going to happen to Avalon and the boys, and those are the ones I know about. A lot of my plot twists aren’t planned. Volume Three will be nothing like what my original tentative plan had. So much more darker than before. This entire series has taken on a darker side. Sorry for the long ramble.

So this is my first Newsletter! I have several things to share with you all. Some of it is exciting and some of it is neutral. First to note, for those of you who do not know, episode eight is now out

Yay and I managed to get it out on time this month. Sorry about April. Never again will I plan to do a release on a family get together holiday. So much chaos! Now , onto more Spearwood Academy news. As most of you know, this is and was planned to be a monthly series. However, I get complaints almost daily from people who hate this, and for the episodes being so short. I’ve tried to make them longer, but I stop when I feel the episode is done and I’ve revealed all I wanted to say/do. When I try to get more descriptive to add words, I get complaints that it’s over done.

So, I have a possible solution and I’m leaving it up to you guys to vote on. Every five episodes, I come out with a volume, this was mainly started so I could sell physical copies. I haven’t started doing that yet. I’m waiting on the printed cover, which may or may not happen. The creator of the volume cover is my brother and he’s in the middle of planning a wedding, work, college and raising his kids. I don’t really want to bother him for it right now, especially since he’s doing it for free and I’m not out a lot of money. Back to the point, I can either continue to release an episode a month and you won’t have to wait. Or I can release just a volume every five months. So you can choose to wait a month or five months. The volumes tend to be around 40-60k in words. Take the poll up top and let me know what you want. Whatever the choice is, it will start with the end of Volume two. Episode 9 and 10 will still come out monthly regardless of the vote.

Second order of business the three series I plan to come out with before the end of 2014.

The three series are:

Spearwood Boys

This series is told through the eyes of Avvi boys. Each episode will be from the point of view of one of them, depending on the theme of the Spearwood Academy episode. Originally, I planned to debut this series with its episode nine, to correlate with Spearwood Academy Episode Nine. However, I have rethought this move. See the end of the newsletter for the dates of when the volumes will come out, with this series, the date may be subject to change, depending on how fast I can write them.

Daughter of Triton

I’m still not sure if this series will happen or not. I want it to, but I’ve been trying to start it for months now and I can’t seem to get the MC to feel real to me, and if she doesn’t feel real to me, she won’t feel real to you. It’s a spin off series. Completely seperate from Spearwood and no, she’s not the Daughter of Triton Lennox. It’s about a mermaid, in New York. The characters in this series will show up in Episode 13 of Spearwood Academy: The Sea Witch

The Inner Secrets of a Queen Bee

This series is unlike my others, it does not deal with fantasy at all. It’s a NA Romance Drama. About a girl who acts like a Queen Bee. It deals heavily with subjects of eating disorders, self mutilation and molestation. It is not to be read by my younger readers. This is meant for people 18+. This series was originally set to come out last month, but the file got corrupted just around the time I finished Episode One and my back up was last saved when I only had 4k. So, it shall be out sometime soon, I’m just not promising when, yet.

I think that’s all the news I wanted to share. Please see the dates below for when Spearwood Academy and Boy volumes are set to come out. The dates are not set in stone and I’ve only briefly planned up to volume seven, but I hope to have eight volumes for both. I don’t follow an outline, just a general idea. The story can change on a dime, there have been several plot twists I didn’t plan for.

SB Volume One 8/28

SA Volume Two 7/28

SB Volume Two 10/30

Volume Three 12/28

SB Volume Three 1/05/15

Volume Four 5/28/2015 (End of Season One 20 episodes)

SB Four 5/30/2015

Volume Five 10/30/2015

SB Volume Five 11/5/2015

Volume Six 3/28/2016

SB Volume Six 3/30/2016

Volume Seven 8/29/2016

SB Volume Seven 9/2/2016

2016 seems like a long way off. Especially with the coming months. I hope I can stay on schedule. My life is going to change a lot in August. I will be having someone move in with me to my tiny one bedroom apartment and they will be dependent on me for basically everything, no it’s not a child. I don’t have kids yet. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with it, honestly. I’m going to have to take on a lot of my freelance work in order to make all ends meet. Though, thanks to you guys my sales have been good and I’m doing better than I have in a long time. Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate it and how much it means to me. It’s helping me survive.

I hope to be able to find a small house to rent or own by March, so that I don’t have to split 600ft between me and the other person, wish me luck.